This invention relates to network communications.
According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a method of communicating data among a plurality of stations in a network, wherein:
first data are communicated during a period of a one kind in a communications cycle;
second data are communicated during a first period of another kind in said cycle, occurring before said period of one kind, and during a second period of the other kind in said cycle, occurring after said period of one kind;
a change in communications frequency is effected between a said second period in one cycle and a said first period in an immediately following cycle; and
said first period in a cycle is used for retransmitting data which were not successfully transferred during said second period of an immediately preceding cycle.
In a specific embodiment, the invention concerns a Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for a wireless network which can adapt to the type of traffic and support the delivery of both isochronous and asynchronous data.